


gardenia

by hydroknife



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fluff, Language of Flowers, Love Confessions, M/M, flower shop, yusuke has an interesting way of confessing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22043347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hydroknife/pseuds/hydroknife
Summary: for my buddy ren. i hope the new flower shop job is going well! <3
Relationships: Kitagawa Yusuke/Kurusu Akira, Kitagawa Yusuke/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55





	gardenia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mattratat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mattratat/gifts).



The overwhelming scent of flowers seemed to follow wherever Akira went. Clinging to his hands after a long shift - he often agreed to stay late, especially in times where money was an ever-growing issue, the cost of medicine beginning to pile up against the weight of their escapades. If having a safety net meant spending an extra two hours surrounded by vivid shades of flora, then so be it.

It wasn’t like he disliked the job. Far from it, actually, compared to the frantic shifts at the beef bowl shop, and he wouldn’t be lying if he said he preferred smelling like flowers over beef and broth. Maybe it was that the work was easy, but the customers were a bit more difficult. Hard to please, sometimes. Akira didn’t doubt the bit of artistic eye he had developed since starting there, but sometimes he wished it were more refined.

Like Yusuke’s. 

Akira wasn’t the only one who had stumbled upon the flower shop, Yusuke appearing every once in a while to loiter, sketch a few blossoms, and leave. Sometimes he would watch Akira work, silent as Akira jotted down meanings and flowers to put into a bouquet. Yusuke never spoke up about his choices, but it wasn’t hard to tell he did have something to say - probably something about color theory, or the general shape of the bouquet.  Akira never pushed him to, either, simply made small talk and then bid the other boy goodbye when he decided to leave. It had become a routine at this point, a rather comfortable one, so neither of them really knew how to react when Akira’s manager struck up the idea of hiring Yusuke as well.

“Pardon?” Yusuke blinked, brows raised slightly as the gears turned in his head. 

Akira could almost visualize the dollar signs that sprung up in Yusuke’s head.

“You’re always here with Akira-kun anyway, and anyone with a pair of eyes could tell your interest has been piqued for a while,” Hanasaki explains, gaze falling to Akira as she continues,

“He’s a hard worker, but I’m sure he’d appreciate the help.” 

Yusuke looks around the flower shop for a moment, as if he’s never been there before, truly viewing it for the first time - his brow furrows in thought, and then he nods. His expression softens, nodding once more as the idea settles in.

“I’d enjoy that, actually. I have always appreciated the work that you do here, and more time with the blossoms could prove beneficial to my art…” He trails off, and Hanasaki laughs as he does so. Soon enough, Yusuke receives an apron like Akira’s, and they leave the store together, spirits high. 

The next time Yusuke enters the shop, he’s dressed to work, sticking to Akira’s side as he explains the details of the duties Yusuke has watched him perform time and time again. He’s grateful that Yusuke has always proved to be a quick learner, his friend taking on the work easily and with vigor by the end of the work day. Yusuke’s bouquets turn out a bit more on the extravagant side - not a surprising trait, if he’s being honest - but customers seem particularly drawn to them. Yusuke swiftly receives some regulars, two or three by the time the end of the month approaches, so Akira doesn’t think twice about the bouquet he finds Yusuke slaving over in the back of the store.

Purple and white lilacs nestle themselves throughout a bouquet of purple roses, and a rather large bunch of them at that.

“What’s that for?”

Akira does think twice, though, when Yusuke barely manages to stop himself from tensing at the sound of Akira’s voice. He swiftly recovers, straightening up as usual to turn and face Akira. He tries to obscure the bouquet with his body, clutching three Gardenia in one hand, and a blue ribbon that reminds Akira of the boys hair.

Without missing a beat,

“A customer requested a confession bouquet,” Yusuke replies, turning back to his work.

"He seemed pretty smitten. Around our age as well,” Yusuke nods to himself, positioning the Gardenia in the center of the bouquet, lastly tying the ribbon around the stems.

Akira blinks at that, eyes narrowing in thought while Yusuke continues to fuss over the flowers.

“I didn’t see anyone waiting out there,” Akira presses, intent on finding out what the bouquet is truly for, but decides to lay off the other boy when he sees his hands begin to freeze.

“He probably went to go do some more shopping.” 

Akira answers his own question, and watches Yusuke relax before humming his agreement. He takes that as his cue to begin his own work, the two boys working in silence for a while. Time seems to fly by, and at some point the confession bouquet is carried out to the front without Akira noticing. A glance at the clock supplies that Yusuke would be heading out soon, leaving Akira to his own work for an hour or two.  He doesn’t mind, bidding Yusuke goodbye when he pokes his head into the room with a short wave.

Akira completes a few more requests that night, Morgana resting in his bag - only waking when Akira hoists the bag onto his shoulder as he prepares to leave for the night. Morgana pokes his head out, and demands some sort of seafood before they head home.  With a pat to his head, Akira obliges. He stops by the market on his way home, letting Morgana browse the slightly more expensive options from his perch. While he’s ringing out, his mind drifts to the bouquet from earlier.

_ I wonder if that confession went well _ , he thinks to himself as he exits the store, feet on autopilot as he makes it to Leblanc and opens the door.

He doesn’t have to ponder any further it seems, as Yusuke’s handiwork sits next to the yellow phone upon Leblanc’s counter. Sojiro greets him from somewhere in the kitchen, and Akira sets Morgana’s bag down, the cat eyeing the flowers before deciding to simply wander upstairs.  Slowly approaching the bouquet would reveal a small note tucked between the Gardenia, and Akira fishes it out with gentle fingers.

As he reads Yusuke’s familiar scrawl, a smile tugged at his lips.

_ “I do apologize for twisting the truth earlier, but I can assure you that I was truthful about being absolutely smitten. _

_ Send me a message once you read this. _

_ Yours truly, _

_  
_ _ Yusuke.” _

Akira scans the note a few more times, a warmth growing in his chest as his free hand frees his phone from his pocket, swiftly opening the chat log he last shared with Yusuke.

His heart hammers loudly in his chest as he types a response.

_ “Want to revisit that date spot from before?” _

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter, @gendices!


End file.
